PAVEMENT STRUCTURE

THICKNESS DESIGN
Asst. Prof. Dr. Deprizon Syamsunur
UCSI Kuala Lumpur
May 2015

OBJECTIVE

Know how to determine the thickness

of flexible/rigid pavements.

Introdu
ction

Elements
of a
Flexible
Pavemen
t
Structure

Factors to
be
Considere
d in the
Design

Methods
of Design
for New
Pavement
s

Malaysian
Design
Methods

AIM

To design a structure that will ensure

that the transmitted stresses are
sufficiently reduced and do not
exceed
the
capacity
of
the
underlying sub-grade.

What is a Pavement?
A multi layer system that distributes the
vehicular loads over a larger area.
OR
Highway pavement is a structure consisting
of superimposed layers of selected and
processed
materials
whose
primary
function is to distribute the applied vehicle
load to the sub grade.
OR
It can also be defined as structure which
separates the tires of vehicles from
the under lying foundation.
5

What is a Pavement?
Pavement is the upper part of roadway, airport or
parking area structure.
1. It includes all layers resting on the original
ground.
2. It consists of all structural elements or layers,
including shoulders

What is a Pavement?

FUNCTONS OF THE PAVEMENT

1. Reduce and distribute the traffic loading so as
not to damage the subgrade
2. Provide vehicle access between two points
under all-weather conditions
3. Provide safe, smooth and comfortable ride to
road users without undue delays and excessive
wear & tear
4. Meet environmental and aesthetics requirement
5. Limited noise and air pollution
6. Reasonable economy

FA C T O R S T O B E C O N S ID ER ED
IN TH E D ES IG N
1.

Failure mechanism permanent deformation and

cracking rut (accumulation of permanent strain water
pounding) crack (fracture failure under repeated or
fluctuating stress fatigue failure in the bituminous
layer)

2.

Traffic loading pavement design must account for

cumulative traffic loading during design life
a.Tire loads & pressure contact load and area
b.Axle & wheel configuration no of contact points
c.Load repetition cumulative
d.Traffic distribution lane, direction
e.Speed loading period (slow, climbing)

Continue
f. ESA Convert wheel loads to standard loads.
Standard load = 80 kN, 8160 kg, or 18000 lb
load equivalency factor,
e = (L/Ls)^n
Load of vehicles (L)
Standard Load (Ls)
Consider only commercial vehicles:
CV (BTM > 1.5 ton, 3 ton for RN31)
3. Environmental temperature (asfalt
brittle/soft) and moisture (safety of users and
pavement)

COMMERCIAL VEHICLE

PRESENT
SERVICEABILITY INDEX

RUTTING

TYPES OF PAVEMENTS
Flexible Pavement
Called "flexible" since the pavement possess low
bending strength and can transfer the wheel loads on
the soil sub-grade below by deformation action .
Eg: Bituminous and WBM roads

Rigid Pavement
Called rigid since the pavement possess good
bending strength and can transfer the wheel loads on
the soil sub-grade below without deformation .
Eg: Cement concrete and RCC roads

TYPE OF PAVEMENT
Flexible Pavement

Rigid Pavement (Portland

Cement)

AC
surface
(3 to 6
Granular
in) (Base
base
Subbase
course)
Subgrad
e

PC
surface
(6 to 12
in)
Base
course
Subgrad
e

FLEXIBLE
PAVEMENTS
Structure
Surface course
Base course
Sub-base course
Subgrade

RIGID
PAVEMENTS
Structure
Surface course
Base course
Sub-base course
Subgrade

STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF A
FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT
Asphalt concrete surface: Mixture of
mineral aggregates and asphaltic
materials. 3 to 6 depending on the
expected traffic on the pavement.
Granular base (Base course): Usually
granular materials such as crushed stone,
crushed or uncrushed slag, crushed or
uncrushed gravel, and sand.
Subbase: Located immediately above the subgrade. Material
of a superior quality than the subgrade. If necessary, it may
be stabilized.
Subgrade: Usually the natural material located along the
horizontal alignment of the pavement and serves as the
foundation of the pavement structure. May be a layer of
selected borrowed materials, well compacted. Remember
once loosened, soil must be compacted to reduce voids.

Factors Affecting Selection Of

Pavements
Type and intensity of traffic
Availability of funds
Sub-grade soil and drainage conditions
Availability of construction materials
Availability of equipments, skilled and
unskilled labor
Atmospheric conditions
Time available for project completion
Level of the area above mean sea level

Factors To Be Considered In
Pavement Design
1. Design wheel
load

2. Subgrade soil

3. Design life

4. Climatic factors

5. Pavement component material

6. Environmental factors

7. Drainage

8. Road geometry

 Mechanistic, based on mechanical model,

relate pavement parameters (stress, strains,
deflections) to physical causes (loads, material
properties) using mathematical model.

Soil classification or strength using

experience, experimentation, or both.

Rule-of-thumb, std thickness for

particular road classification

Theoretical/se
mi
Empirical
Precedent

Objective to determine the number, material composition,

and thickness of different layers that will be suitable in a
specific environment and able to sustain the anticipated
traffic loading.

Methods of Design for New

Pavements

3.

More reliable performance prediction (use

material properties)

4.

Accomodate environmental and aging effects

on materials

Accommodate various load types

Can be use for new construction and
rehabilitation

2.
1.

ADVANTAGES OF MECHANISTICEMPIRICAL

DESIG N PR O C ESS

Malaysian Design Methods

JKR METHOD

JKR Method
This method is a combination of two
methods above using a formula and
figures from the result of the testing.
A complete guideline for pavement
design can be found in Arahan
Teknik (Jalan) 5/85. The thickness of
the pavement depends on the CBR
value and the Total Cumulative of
Standard Axle ( JBGP )

OBJECTIVE
To know the methods and procedures in designing
the flexible pavement for roads in Malaysia.
Specific Objectives
At the end of the unit you should be able to : describe the basic layers of road design
calculate the design using the required formula
and figure.
design the basic flexible pavement using JKR
method.

SOME DATA NEED TO BE COLLECTED

BEFORE STARTING ANY DESIGN
1. Design life, (n).
2. Road hierarchy base of JKR
classification.
3. Average daily traffic volume (ADT).
4. Percentage of commercial vehicle
(PC)
5. Yearly rate of traffic growth (r).
6. CBR value for sub-grade (CBR).
7. Topography condition.

Design Life
The design life on JKR Design Method
is suggested for 10 years. The design
life begins from the road starts in use
for traffic until the maintenance is
required

Road Hierarchy Base Of JKR

Classification
Road
Classification
and
its
Construction
Material
CLASS
TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION
A1

Concrete Surfacing

A2

Hard Bituminous Metalled

Hard Water bound Metalled

Hard Bituminous Sealed

Graveled Water bound

Soil Surfacing

CATEGORY AND ITS ROAD WIDTH

CATEGORY

WIDTH OF ROAD

RESAVE

W (m)

R (cm)

01

4.5

20.0

02

5.0

30.0

03

6.0

30.0

04

7.0

40.0

05

7.5

40.0

06

3.5 per lane

40.0 or more

Notes : 01 03 Village Roads.

04 06 Urban Roads.

Road Classification by JKR

Standard

Traffic Estimation

The total of yearly commercial

vehicle

Table 10.7 Guide for Equivalence

Factor

The total traffic volume

Maximum Traffic Loading

Table 10.8: Maximum Hourly

Capacity Under Ideal Conditions

Table 10.9: Carriageway Roadway

Reduction Factor

Table 10.10: Traffic Reduction Factor

Daily Traffic Loading

CBR-Sub-grade Value

Pavement Thickness
Design

The thickness of the various layers

shall be obtained using

EXAMPLE
The following conditions are given :
Class of road JKR 05
Initial daily traffic volume (ADT) 6,600
Percentage of commercial vehicles 15%
Annual growth rate 7%
Equivalence factor 2.0
Subgrade CBR 5%
Rolling terrain

SOLUTION
1. Initial annual commercial traffic
for one way

2. Accumulative sum of
commercial traffic one way for
10 year design period

Cont
3. Total Equivalent Standard Axles
From table 10.7 e = 2.0

Cont
4. Maximum Hourly One Way
Traffic Flow

Cont
5. In JKR Standard, Traffic Loading
for an hour is assumed that
equal with 10 % daily loading,
as:
C = 10 x c
C = 10 x 770
C = 7,700 vec/day/lane

Cont
6. The estimated daily traffic V
after 10 years is given by;

Cont

Cont
From fig. above, the chart shows that
for an ESA of 5.0 x 106, the required
TA is 26 cm.
Design of Layer Thickness;

SOLUTION

THANK YOU

SELF ASSESSMENT
A road with hierarchy of 05 has a surface width of 7.0 m and
road reserve of 40.0m is to be built as a main road in a
residential area. It has a initial average daily traffic of
7000cv/day in both directions. The rate of traffic growth is 7%.
Percentage of commercial vehicle is 25%. Design a flexible
pavement for the road which needs a design life of 10 years.
The CBR for sub-grade of the road is 5%. ( Employ the JKR
Malaysia Design Method ).
Note:
Requirement of pavement layers:
Wearing Course= Asphalt Concrete.
Road-Base Course = Broken Aggregate.
Sub-Base Course = Broken Aggregate.

Solution

Solution

ROAD NOTE 31
Road Note 31 was first published in 1962
and revised in 1966 and 1977 to take
account of advances in our understanding
of the behaviour of road-budding materials
and
their
interaction
in
composite
pavements.
Overseas Road Note 31 based on research
in tropical and sub-tropical countries.
Design to cater traffic up to 30MSA (Millions
of Standard Axles) in one direction

THE DESIGN PROCESS

1. estimating the amount of traffic and the
cumulative number of equivalent standard axles
that will use the road over the selected design life;
2. assessing the strength of the subgrade soil over
which the road is to be built;
3. selecting the most economical combination of
pavement materials and layer thicknesses that will
provide satisfactory service over the design life of
the pavement (It is usually necessary to assume
that an appropriate level of maintenance is also
carried out).

Emphasis on 5 aspects:
1. Influence of tropical climate on moisture
conditions in road sub-grades
2. Severe conditions imposed on exposed
bituminous surfacing by tropical climates
3. Interrelationship between design and
maintenance
4. High axle load and tyre pressures
5. Influence of tropical climate on the nature of
the soils and rocks used in the road building

Flow chart for the construction of a

highway pavement

EQUIVALENT FACTORS FOR

DIFFERENT AXLE LOADS
Equivalent factors for different axle loads
Single and dual Wheel Load (103 kg)
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
6.0
6.5
7.0
7.5
8.0
8.5
9.0
9.5
10.0

Axle Load (103 kg)

3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
8.0
9.0
10.0
11.0
12.0
13.0
14.0
15.0
16.0
17.0
18.0
19.0
20.0

Equivalent Factor (Ef)

0.01
0.04
0.11
0.25
0.50
0.91
1.55
2.50
3.83
5.67
8.13
11.30
15.50
20.70
27.20
35.20
44.90
56.50

Equivalent Standard Axles

Use growth factor(r) for each vehicle class and the assigned
design life (n years) to calculate cumulative esa.
n

esacum esabase

1 r

Thus, the wheel load applications during design life are

calculated as follows,
Assess base year traffic flow by classes of commercial vehicles
Determine the axle loads and growth rate of each vehicle class
Apply the equivalent axle load factors and growth rates to base
year traffic flow to determine the pavement damaging effect
[equivalent standard axles, (esa)] during the design life.

TRAFFIC AND SUBGRADE STRENGTH

CLASSES
Table 10.2 Traffic and subgrade strength classes.
Traffic Classes
Subgrade Strength Classes
Traffic
106 esa
Subgrade
%
Class
Range
Strength Class
T1
<0.3
S1
2
T2
0.3 0.7
S2
3-4
T3
0.7 1.5
S3
5-7
T4
1.5 3.0
S4
8-14
T5
3.0 6.0
S5
15-29
T6
6.0 10.0
S6
30
T7
10.0 17.0
T8
17.0 30.0

EXAMPLE
The axle load of vehicle class are shown in table below.
Determine The Base Year Equivalent Standard Axles (esa)
and the traffic class.
Axle load of
AADT of
vehicle class vehicle class
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

450
380
250
100
85
75
40
35
25
15

Growth
Factor
(%)
4
3
3
4
5
5
3
4
4
5

Solution
Axle load of vehicle class AADT of vehicle class
3.0
450
4.0
380
5.0
250
6.0
100
7.0
85
8.0
75
9.0
40
10.0
35
11.0
25
12.0
15

Equivalent Factor(Ef)
0.01
0.04
0.11
0.25
0.50
0.91
1.55
2.50
3.83
5.67

Base year esa

1643
5548
10038
9125
15513
24911
22630
31938
34949
31043

Solution
Axle load of
vehicle class

Base year
esa

3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
8.0
9.0
10.0
11.0
12.0

1643
5548
10038
9125
15513
24911
22630
31938
34949
31043
Total
The traffic class is
T4

Growth
Factor
(%)
4
3
3
4
5
5
3
4
4
5

Design Cumulati
ve esa
life (n
(esacum)
years)
10
19726
10
63602
10
115074
10
109556
10
195121
10
313328
10
259428
10
383451
10
419601
10
390456
2269343

Estimation of Sub-grade
Classes

PROPERTIES OF UNBOUND
MATERIALS

Legend of definitions of pavement materials for

use with Charts 1 to 8

Chart 1

GRANULAR ROADBASE / SURFACE DRESSING

Chart 2 COMPOSITE ROADBASE (UNBOUND

AND CEMENTED) / SURFACE DRESSING

Chart 3 GRANULAR ROADBASE /

SEMI-STRUCTURAL SURFACE

Chart 4 COMPOSITE ROADBASE /

SEMI-STRUCTURAL SURFACE

Chart 5 GRANULAR ROADBASE /

STRUCTURAL SURFACE

Chart 6 COMPOSITE ROADBASE /

STRUCTURAL SURFACE

Chart 7 BITUMINOUS ROADBASE /

SEMI-STRUCTURAL SURFACE

Chart 8 CEMENTED ROADBASE /

SURFACE DRESSING

EXAMPLE
ESAcum = 12M, PI > 45, WT = 3m
below formation